Ignition system.



R. HUFF.

IGNITION SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 5. I910.

1,16%,2. Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

COLUMBIA PLANouRM'n C0,. WASHINGTON n. c, 5

R. HUFF.

IGNITION SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.5. 1910.

Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

R. HUFF.

IGNITION SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG- 5. 1910.

5 1 1 9 1 L, 2 w D m H w a D1 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANOUIIAPH CO" WMIMINGTON, D. C

pnrrnp smarts auteur opinion.

RUSSELL I'IUFF, 0F DETRUIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 PACKARD IVIUTOR CAR-COMPANY, OF DETR-GIT, MICHIGAN, A CURLPCJRATIUN (IMF MICHIGAN.

IGNITION SYSTEM.

Application filed August 5, 1910.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat I, RUSSELL Horn, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Ignition Systems, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to ignition systems for motor vehicles, and itsobjects are to improve systems of the above type so that the partsthereof may be easily assembled, so that the conductors will beprotected, and premature ignition of the charge in the engine cylindersprevented.

The invention will be described in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, in which,-

Figure 1 is an elevation of the exhaust side of a hydrocarbon engine,showing the invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a plan view; Fig. 3 isa partial elevation-from the inlet side of the hydrocarbon engine shownin Fig. 1; Fig. t is a detail of one of the switches; Fig. 5 is a detailperspective view of one of the brackets.

Referring to the drawings, the engine is shown as of the multi-cylindertype, in which the cylinders 10 are cast in pairs and bolted to thecrank case 11. An oil tank 12 is mounted between two of the cylindersand inside of the exhaust pipe 13, so that the oil in the tank willreceive the heat from the exhaust pipe and the cylinder walls.

14 designates the intake manifold and 15 the water pipe which conductsthe water away from the cylinder water jackets.

The oil tank is provided with breather or vent tubes 16 which connect attheir lower ends with the crank case and pass through the tank.

The magneto 17 driven from the motor is mounted on the crank case on theexhaust side of the engine and is provided with the usual high tensiondistributer 17 and the low tension circuit-breaker 17*. High and .lowtension conductors 17 have connections with the distributer and circuitbreaker respectively, and pass upwardly along side of the cylinders tothe heads thereof. It will be seen that these conductors pass betweenthe exhaust pipe and the cylinders both of which are hot. In order toprotect these conductors, a tube or casing 18 is provided which is ofsubstantially L-shape and passes Specification of Letters Yatent.

Serial 1%. 575,853.

upwardly along the cylinders and across the tops thereof. This tube issecured to the tank 12 by means of a bracket 19 on the tube bolted orscrewed to a bracket 20 secured to the tank 12 in any suitable manner.The cylinder heads have mounted therein spark plugs 23 which are locatedabove the inlet valves, and adjacent each spark plug is mounted asupport or post 2 of insulating material, each of which has mountedthereon a switch member 24 which is arranged to cooperate with. a switchcontact on the spark plug. ill bracket 25 is mounted on top of each ofthe supports or posts and is provided with side flanges 26 which engagethe sides of the posts and with ears 27 which are arranged to receive apivotal member 28, which is pivotally connected to the switch member 24so that the switch member will be supported on the bracket 25 foruniversal movement. The bracket 25 is secured to the support or post 22by means of a stud 29 which is threaded to receive a knurled nut 30, soas to form a binding post for one of the high tension conductors. Thesupports or posts 22 are provided with holes for receiving theconductors 17. Each spark plug is provided with a yoke 31 having aswitch contact which is engaged by one of the switch members 24.

It is desirable to mount the magneto on the exhaust side of the enginewhere it will not be near the carburetor so as to avoid danger ofigniting the mixture in the carbureter or near the engine base at theintake side. This however necessitates that the conductors from themagneto pass near the exhaust pipe where they will be -1-1posed to heatand oil which may pass out of the breather tubes 16, causingdeterioration of the insulation on the conductors. It is for thispurpose that the protective casing 19 is provided. It is objectionablehowever to place the wires so close together that they will be ininductive relation, in view of the fact that the inducting action of onecircuit on another circuit may be great enough i to cause prematureignition of the charge in one of the cylinders. The protective casingtherefore covers the conductors to no greater extent than is necessaryto protect them against the heated exhaust pipe and the e1rhaust side ofthe cylinders. After the wires have reached the tops of the cylindersthey are spread out and supported in spaced relation,'one above theother, on the supports 22 and a central support 21. By thus spacing thewires not only will the inductive action be reducted to a minimum, butthe insulation of the entire system is very much increased.

By separating the wires at a point midway between the cylinders, theconductors can be connected to terminals on the tops of the posts 22 andthese postscan be made of substantially the same height, which not onlyrenders their manufacture cheap, but also renders the connection of theconductors to the terminals convenient, and, moreover, improvesappearances.

By securing the tube'18 to the tank the manufacture and assembling isgreatly cheapened and facilitated, since the tank and tube may be madeand assembled in the sheet metal shop. It will be understood that thetube 18 conducts four high tension wires leading to the spark plugs incase the motor is a four-cylinder motor, and a low and a high tensionwire leading to the coil on the dash.

It is exceedingly diflicult or practically impossible to machine andassemble the parts so that the switch member and the switch contact onthe spark plug will be in absolute alinement. By mounting the switch foruniversal movement on its supports it is not necessary then to locatethe cooperating parts so accurately with respect to each other. Inaddition, the switch can be swung entirely out of the way when it isdesired to remove a spark plug, which is quite an item in the crampedspace which a motor in a. motor vehicle occupies.

It is obvious that various changes may be made in the details ofconstruction without departing from this invention, and it is thereforeto be understood that this invention is not to be limited to thespecific construction shown and described.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of an enginecylinder, a bracket fixed to said cylinder, a spark plug for saidcylinder provided with a switch contact projecting therefrom, a switchcomprising a pair of bars movable as a unit and adapted tosimultaneously engage opposite sides of said contact, and a universaljoint connection between said switch and said bracket.

2. The combination with a. hydrocarbon motor, and a spark plug thereforhaving a switch contact thereon, of a support adja cent said spark plug,a switch member adapted to cooperate with said switch contact, and auniversal joint between said switch member and said support.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

- RUSSELL HUFF. Witnesses:

W. H. FINCKEL, Jr, C. I. DALE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. 0.

